Everton Duo Outshine RVP

The stand-off between Everton and Manchester United was a sight for sore eyes. The lack of a goal-scoring fest did not take away from both teams' motivation to play a good game. Wayne Rooney was prevented from shooting by the talented Everton defense. Marouane Fellaini, who went on to score the only goal of the match, dribbled past Valencia and Carrick, hitting the post on the 14th minute of play. Fergie's side fired back with a series of impressive attempts. Two consecutive shots by Danny Welbeck were blocked by Distin and captain Phil Neville, a former United player and the younger brother of former United right-back Gary Neville. Not surprisingly, the guests were well ahead in possession. Fergie's team had several consecutive goal attempts. Welbeck's shot went wide of the left side of the net, Rooney's ball was cleared by Darron Gibson, and Nani's attempt flew wide of Tim Howard's net. An Everton corner gave United's Spanish goalkeeper David de Gea the opportunity to make an impact. He punched away Gibson's cross and brought Leon Osman's shot over the top of the net. Rooney curved the ball in from a free kick, but Tim Howard got the ball out for a corner. The goalkeeping fiesta continued as De Gea once again came through for the Red Devils. Everton's Steven Pienaar aimed for the far post, and United's keeper cleared it away, getting back on his feet immediately after the save. Tom Cleverley cleared the ball away at the last moment when Phil Neville attempted to get a cross to Leighton Banes. Nani got the cross to Rooney in the penalty area; the latter turned to shoot, but the ball flew right to where Howard was positioned in front of the net. Former Borussia Dortmund midfielder Shinji Kagawa, who debuted for Manchester United in the starting eleven, produced a nice pass to Danny Welbeck, but the latter missed the target. Everton's Fellaini got the ball to Osman, whose shot to the near post was pawed away in a great leap by David de Gea. United led in attempts, but the two teams were even when it came down to shots on goal. Everton's last attempts before halftime were certainly not their final ones of the match. David Moyes's team had a free kick that was taken by Leighton Baines, a player who scored against United during his spell at Wigan. This time, Baines curved the ball in to the near post, only to watch as David de Gea took the ball out for a corner. Another set piece came in added time - Everton's corner delivery bounced off a defender, leaving United's Nani with the counter. Everton Vice-captain Phil Jagielka cleared the ball away before the halftime whistle.The second half was, without a doubt, a magnificent encore. Rooney's early shot went wide, while Everton's Darron Gibson shot the ball high off-target. Fellaini picked up a cross from Tony Hibbert on the 50th minute, playing the ball to Osman, whose powerful shot ended up hitting the crossbar. United countered with Kagawa and Welbeck leading the way. Again, Jagielka slid in to clear the ball away. Rooney had two more chances for his team, but his attack was cut short by Distin, and his shot from outside the box flew past the net. On the 57th minute, Everton finally cut to the chase. Gibson's corner kick into the box gave Fellaini his much-anticipated goal-scoring moment. Fellaini won the header and the hearts of Everton fans, sending the ball flying off of a ricochet past De Gea. As ESPN rightfully pointed out, there was a new "star of the show". Fellaini wasn't stopping with one header, though. De Gea took the ball before the Belgian could score again. Manchester United were inches away from equalizing when Nani made a cross into the box. US National Team goalkeeper Tim Howard marked Welbeck, and when Tom Cleverley got the ball instead and took a shot at the open net, Jagielka was there to back up the keeper and clear the attempt. Rooney had no one to pass the ball to from the right flank, and Robin Van Persie was subbed in for Welbeck. RVP made his debut by immediately taking the corner for his team. United appeared to be getting ahead, despite the great defending that the Blues were showing. Nani's game was disappointing, though, and didn't differ much from his usual hapless squanders. Two United newcomers created a great combination. Van Persie gave a great pass to Kagawa on the 79th minute, who dribbled past several defenders and was not far from goal when Tim Howard saved the ball. It's difficult to determine what was wrong with such a good-looking picture - the fact that United lost to Everton for the fourth time in twenty-one games, or that the former Arsenal goal-scorer didn't do much else to contribute to altering the result in the remaining ten minutes of the match. Sir Alex Ferguson subbed out Cleverley for Anderson. The Brazilian contributed to United's last attempt of the match. After Tim Howard blocked Patrice Evra's shot, Anderson tried to score himself, but unlike Evra, he ended up kicking the ball past the net. There's a lot that Robin Van Persie could have done to save the game for his team and earn the Red Devils at least one point in their first game of the season. He had ten minutes, plus added time, to make an impact, and only one potential assist. It's safe to say that the stars of today's match were Marouane Fellaini and defender Phil Jagielka. A player's prior success does not necessarily guarantee their future performance, whether for their current team or at another club. Perhaps the best measure of success is that of a player who achieves great fame, but doesn't let the six-figure digits get to his head. The next few games will say a lot about whether Robin Van Persie will help turn things around for United.Barclay's Premier LeagueMonday, August 20, 2012, 3PM ESTEverton FC vs. Manchester United - 1:0 (0:0)Arena: Goodison Park (Liverpool, England)Referee: Andre Marinner (Birmingham, England)Goals: 1:0 Marouane Fellaini ('57)

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Aleks V is a NYC-based multimedia storyteller. Her 7 years in sports include contributing to various online and print media, including FourFourTwo and PRWeek, working for FC Dynamo Moscow and the New York Cosmos, and being featured on SB Nation. Since 2011, she runs the GoalChatter soccer blog and has also produced, written, and hosted a weekly radio show of the same name. Her diverse background includes graphic design, photography, and video production/editing. She is also an award-winning writer on Comedywire and has performed at Gotham Comedy Club.